Gutters attached to the eaves of a roof for channeling water and debris flowing off a roof are customarily composed of horizontal gutters, support brackets attached to the eaves of the roof and attached transversely to the horizontal gutters for supporting or suspending same, and downspout. Normally, such components are constructed from substantially non-expandable material, for example, a metal such as aluminum or galvanized steel. In recent years, expandable thermoplastics materials such as vinyl have become acceptable materials from which to construct the various gutter, support bracket and downspout components of a gutter system.
Normally, horizontal support brackets secure the back walls of the metal gutter flush with the fascia board of the eaves by means of a nail or screw extending through the gutter and the horizontal support bracket into the fascia board. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,491 to Ramser discloses a cantilever type horizontal support bracket and an associated gutter normally mounted on a building fascia board by a fastener, such as a nail, which extends through a U-shaped bend in the support bracket and the gutter rear wall interposed in the vertically oriented U-shaped bend, into the fascia board. The cantilever bracket because of its cantilever construction, supports the front wall of the gutter against sagging or bending downwardly relative to the rear wall of the gutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,851 (Ritchie) relates to a hanger for mounting metal gutters, the hanger comprising a vertical strap which is nailed or screwed to the fascia board and has upper and lower flanges which longitudinally grip the rear wall of the gutter and a clip which passes over the top of the gutter and interlocks with the strap and the front edge of the gutter. While the back wall of the gutter is not secured by a nail to the strap and fascia board, the clip disclosed provides only tension support to the front edge of the gutter and thus does not offer the strength of a substantially rigid bracket of the cantilever type.
Where gutters are constructed of expandable thermoplastics materials it is necessary to devise a coupling for the gutter and support bracket therefor, which permits the contiguous surfaces of such components to be slideably engaged when connected to permit the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the gutter with respect to the support bracket which is secured to a fascia board. U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,284 (Hall) teaches guttering made from plastic extrusions having a high coefficient of expansion and a bracket resembling a vertically oriented and inverted U-shaped bend with a flange extending diagonally upwardly away from the bottom of such inverted U-shaped bend, permitting one vertical web of the U-shaped bend to be screwed or nailed to a fascia board and to receive the rear wall of the gutter slideably inserted between the web 32 and the return flange 33. In this patent the diagonal flange 31 provides only tension support for the front edge of the gutter. Furthermore, because the diagonal flange extends across the volume of the gutter, debris passing in the gutter to the downspouts is likely to become caught and block the flow of water.
In an attempt to provide greater strength to a gutter bracket, a substantially rigid support bracket of the cantilever type in a plastics gutter system has been proposed by Mitten Solid Vinyl Products. Mitten's support bracket comprises, a vertical mounting plate for fastening to a fascia board, and a member extending laterally therefrom of a substantially cross-shape (+) cross-section extending from proximate the top of such mounting plate. In the Mitten proposal, the lateral member comprises a tapered vertically extending web and a horizontal flange carried between the top and the bottom of the vertically extending web and extending on either side thereof. The end of the vertically extending web, spaced below the horizontal flange carries an opening proximate the mounting plate and carries a vertical flange extending transversely at the bottom of the web towards the mounting plate to provide a longitudinally extending channel opening downwardly and having a reduced entrance to the channel opening. Mitten employs a gutter comprising a longitudinally extending back wall, the top edge of the back wall having an upwardly directed laterally depressible V-shaped projection laterally depressed on the passing of the V-shaped projection through the reduced entrance to the channel expanding into said channel to prevent vertical removal. Due to the bottom portion of the vertical web carrying the opening to create the downwardly opening channel, the top portion of the vertical web (above the horizontal flange) is fused to the mounting plate to rigidify the lateral member against flexing downwardly in relation to the mounting plate when the bracket supports the load of the gutter. When the bracket supports the load of the gutter, the horizontal flange is flush with the top of the gutter. Therefore, the top of the vertical web extends above the top of the gutter. Accordingly, the Mitten gutter must be attached lower on the fascia board to accommodate the height of the vertical web, when mounted spacing the top of the gutter from the roof tiles which normally extend over the fascia board about 1/2 inch.
With this structure the water can reach the fascia (normally painted or treated wood) weathering it or even penetrating into the wood and thus the building structure.
Other proposals for maximum structural support have supported the gutter from below, encircling a portion of the outer bottom surface of the gutter with a support bracket. However, this proposal is unsightly.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved gutter system and components therefor, suitable for use in a gutter system constructed of substantially expandable thermoplastics material.
It is a further object of this invention to provide components for a gutter system which permits a plastics gutter system to be mounted close to the edge of the lowest tile of the roof.
Further and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of embodiments thereof.